Cat and Mouse
by bionic4ever
Summary: Is someone trying to gaslight Jaime, or is the intention even more sinister?  To Julie...thanks!
1. Prologue

**Cat and Mouse**

Prologue

The mouse was totally unaware, as it scurried across the floor, of what lay directly ahead. The cat licked its lips in anticipation, lying in wait just around the corner. As its prey darted past, the cat stretched one languid paw into the mouse's path and swatted – so quickly the mouse never even saw what hit it – sending its victim rolling backwards to where it had started.

The mouse, confused but undeterred, rose to its now-wobbly feet and began again. This time, the cat shot both paws out, batting the mouse from one to the other, playing with it. The one who watched from above them grinned with even more anticipation than the feline. The mouse let out a tiny squeal as it was tossed into the air in a macabre game of catch. When the cat finally allowed it to hit the ground, it began to crawl away, stunned into near-submission but still fighting for its life. Its adversary batted it back into range and let it crawl away over and over again, until it grew tired of the game.

**Thwomp! **One mighty paw made a direct, crushing connection and the game had ended. The one who watched chortled with amusement.

_That's exactly what it'll be like; I'll play with them for awhile, have my fun and then let them think it's over. In the end, the final word will be mine, and I'll crush them worse than that mouse!_

_- - - - - -_


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Jaime was completely trapped, and she knew it. She'd been backed into a corner, and this time, there would be no escape, no charming her way out of it. It seemed there was nothing to do now but accept her fate. Still, she had to try; knowing it was futile, Jaime made a last-ditch effort to reason with her tormentor. "This isn't fair, you know," she shouted over the surrounding din.

Steve laughed. "All's fair in love...and bumper cars." The instant the ride had started, he'd rammed her car over and over, pushing her straight into the corner where she couldn't turn and couldn't bump him back. "Give up yet?" he teased.

"I don't think so!" Jaime yanked hard on the tiny steering wheel, floored the pedal and went...nowhere. "I am _not _having fun!" she said with a giggle.

"It was your challenge -"

"Steve, come on!"

"You know what you have to say."

"No way!" Jaime turned her head and stuck out her tongue before attempting to rock the car out of the corner. "Ok – you got me," she sighed.

"Say it," Steve prompted. Jaime mumbled the words under her breath. Steve chuckled. "Didn't quite hear you..."

She scowled, but the corners of her mouth were already twitching into a smile. "_Steve is king,"_ she grumbled.

"Now you're talking my language," he laughed, giving Jaime a wink as her newly-free car sailed past him.

- - - - - -

"I let you win," Jaime told Steve as they left the bumper cars.

"Is that a fact?"

"Well, I have to watch that delicate male ego of yours." She tilted her head up and kissed him.

"_You_ are all this man's ego needs," he said softly. They stopped at the base of the park's brand-new roller coaster. Billed as the longest, highest and fastest in the world, the Behemoth was the main reason Steve and Jaime had come to the park. "Shall we?" Steve asked, extending a gallant arm.

Jaime grinned. "Let's rock!"

Halfway up the gigantic lift-hill, Jaime clutched Steve's arm as an icy-cold fear shot straight through her. It wasn't happy anticipation; it was an awful, sinking sense of foreboding, but as quickly as it had come, it was gone again. Jaime continued clinging to Steve simply because she liked how it felt.

- - - - - -

The cat, as always, was on the prowl while the mice dared to have fun. The first trap would be a subtle one – just a teaser for what was to come – and it was ready. The cat's eyes gleamed with the excitement of the hunt.

- - - - - -

Jaime turned her key in the lock and she and Steve stepped into the den. They'd just enjoyed a quiet candlelit dinner at their favorite restaurant and were so completely enthralled with each other that the slight change in their surroundings didn't register immediately. Most of Jaime's lost memories were likely to never return, but she'd fallen in love with her handsome Colonel all over again and their relationship had grown almost as serious as it had been just before her accident.

"Do you really have to go home tonight?" she asked softly, handing him a glass of their favorite wine.

"Oscar needs me in the office first thing in the morning." Steve kissed her, and as she sank into him and the kiss began to deepen, he found himself wanting – _needing –_ to stay with Jaime, for the night...and forever. She felt so _right _in his arms; she always had. "Well, now that you put it that way -"

Together, they sank in one fluid motion onto the over-stuffed couch. He didn't have to come up with a reason to stay, but they still managed to find one – when they sat on it. Startled, Jaime and Steve jumped to their feet, with his arm protectively encircling her before they even saw...it. Steve frowned in confusion while Jaime's eyes grew wide. She stifled a small scream by burying her face in his chest, but the image was burned into her brain.

Two small dolls, one male and one female, were seated arm-in-arm in the middle of the couch. "Steve," Jaime whispered, "those...aren't mine. Someone was here – in my house – and left those..._things!_"

Steve drew her body as close as possible to his own, trying to somehow shield her from what she'd already seen: the dolls had no heads. "I'll check the rest of the house," he said grimly.

"I'm coming with you!" Jaime clung to him as they moved from room to room, searching but finding nothing unusual. The strange, cold feeling she'd felt earlier on the roller coaster returned to punch her in the gut as they came to the bedroom. "Steve...I never close the bedroom door!"

"I know." He stepped in front of her and turned the knob. As he took his first look inside, his stomach turned over and his eyes flashed with anger and worry. He tried to block Jaime's view, but it was too late. What they saw was almost too much to take in and definitely too much to bear.

Two dolls' heads – a Ken and a blond Barbie – swung from tiny nooses hung directly over the bed.

- - - - - -


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Steve took Jaime back to his house, where they sat up all night and he held her while she shivered in the muggy August heat. As soon as the sun came up, he headed for OSI Headquarters with Jaime firmly beside him. True to form, Oscar was already at his desk.

"I know you're sending me somewhere," Steve said briskly, helping a slightly wobbly Jaime into a chair before sitting down himself, "but we need to talk to you first. It's important."

Oscar's worry lines creased deeper across his face. "Didn't you get the message, Pal?"

"What message?"

"The Taiwan job proved to be less urgent than we'd thought, and I'm sending another operative, lower echelon, instead." Steve shook his head, and Oscar frowned. "Callahan was supposed to call you." He looked from Steve to Jaime and back again. "What's going on? You both look like you've been up all night...and not happily."

Steve quickly told Oscar about the dolls while Jaime stared at her hands and willed herself not to cry. "That's awful," Oscar empathized. "Are they still there?"

"Yeah," Steve answered, taking Jaime's hand. "I just wanted to get Jaime the hell outta there; I took her back to my house."

"Good idea. I want you to keep an eye on her – on _each other –_ until this is resolved. I'll have Jack Hansen get a team over there this morning to check it out." Oscar looked more closely at Jaime (who had yet to utter a single word), and seeing her pale, tear-stained face, his frown lines deepened to crevasses. "Stop in and see Rudy before you leave today, ok?"

The office door opened suddenly, and Russ hurried in. "Oscar, you have an appointment with the Secretary in an hour and -" he noticed Jaime and Steve, and switched to lower gear. "And I'll come back later."

"Russ, on your way out, put in a call to Jack Hansen and tell him I need him over here with his best team, pronto."

Russ nodded. "You got it."

When Russ was gone, Steve got up and helped Jaime to her feet. "C'mon, Sweetheart," he said quietly. "Maybe Rudy will give you something so you can rest."

"Keep me posted, Pal," Oscar told him, walking them to the door.

"Thanks, Oscar." Steve nodded to Callahan, who was now at her desk, and led Jaime into the elevator. "Rudy in?" he asked Lynda, who was in Rudy''s outer office, talking to Michael. He didn't stop for an answer, but kept walking, holding Jaime's hand, all the way back to Rudy's lab.

- - - - - -

An hour later, Jaime obediently swallowed the capsule Rudy had prescribed and settled back onto the mountain of pillows on Steve's bed. "You're gonna rest, too, aren't you?"

Steve kissed her softly, and pulled the sheet up to cover her. "Maybe later. But you need it now." The whole ugly incident had hit Jaime hard, and Steve was as worried about her as Rudy and Oscar were. He sat down on the edge of the bed, trying to soothe her, until the drug took hold and she drifted off to sleep.

- - - - - -

The cat was pacing back and forth, hands rubbing together like well-groomed paws. The mice were running scared; this was excellent news. They didn't know what had hit them, but they'd definitely been hit – and hit hard. The cat grinned, knowing it was just the beginning.

- - - - - -

When the phone rang a few hours later, Steve grabbed it quickly, hoping it hadn't disturbed Jaime's rest. It was Oscar, and any thoughts Steve might've had of getting rest himself were gone.

"Question for you, Pal," Oscar began, diving right into it, "did you actually see those dolls, or did Jaime tell you about them?"

"I saw the dolls, and I saw their heads. Why - what's going on?"

"Hansen's team just left Jaime's house. They didn't find any dolls – headless or otherwise."

"That's impossible -"

"And no signs of forced entry," Oscar concluded.

"I know what I saw, Oscar! It wasn't some kind of projected image, either; we sat on the things! And Jaime...she's not easily rattled, and this really has her spooked!"

"How is Jaime?" he asked his friend gently.

"She's been sleeping for a couple of hours now. Hopefully she'll feel at least a little better when she wakes up."

"I don't think she should be alone right now, Pal. Can you keep her with you?"

"Planning on it," Steve confirmed. "Maybe you could have her house – especially the doors and windows – dusted for prints."

"It's already done. I'll let you know as soon as we have the results."

The conversation was halted by a sharp, piercing scream from the bedroom. "That's Jaime! Oscar, I've gotta go!"

- - - - - -


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Steve was so unnerved when he saw Jaime that all he could do was sweep her into his arms. She was sitting bolt-upright, tears flooding her cheeks and her whole body trembling visibly. Her teeth appeared to be chattering. "What is it, Sweetheart?" he asked, a little frightened himself, now. "Bad dream?" Jaime shook her head and, without looking up from Steve's shoulder, she pointed to the bedroom window, which - to Steve's finely-tuned and well-trained eye – appeared normal.

Steve frowned, but continued to try and soothe her. "Was someone there?" he asked, very gently.

Jaime looked up at the empty window and a new wave of sobbing overtook her. "It was...another doll..." she managed to tell him. "A girl...and...Steve, she was covered in blood!"

With one arm still holding Jaime close, Steve reached for the bedside phone and dialed Oscar's emergency number. "Something's happened," he told their boss-and-friend grimly, without greeting or preamble. "You and Hansen need to come over here." He glanced at Jaime's stricken, tear-stained face. "And bring Rudy."

- - - - - -

The cat exulted in this new triumph. It was amazing how little money it took to persuade people to do almost anything with no questions asked. The cat, shrouded in a cloak of anonymity, could savor the game indefinitely before moving in for the kill.

- - - - - -

Steve waited tensely in the living room while Rudy was down the hall with Jaime. "Somebody's playing with us," he told Oscar and Hansen (hitting closer to the truth than he could possibly know). "If they wanted to _hurt _us – physically – they had a clean shot at Jaime through that window." Steve cringed inwardly at the thought.

Oscar hesitated, but had to say it. "Are you sure there was really something _at _the window, Pal? Maybe Jaime was dreaming."

Steve shook his head emphatically. "No way. She was practically in hysterics; this was NO dream!"

"I could send you both underground," Oscar offered, "to one of our safe houses, while this is being investigated. Be almost like a vacation -"

"Except there's nothing to investigate," Steve pointed out.

"He's right," Hansen affirmed. "Not one grain of evidence to go on – yet."

"Did you get the fingerprint results from Jaime's house yet?" Steve asked.

"We did, but it's another dead end. Every single print has a reason to be there: you, Jaime, Oscar, Russ, Peggy Callahan and Rudy. Also Chris Williams and Michael Marchetti. Whoever did this either wore gloves or was very, very careful."

"So we have nothing," Oscar said, quite unhappily.

"My gut says it isn't over, though," Steve added, "and I don't think Jaime can take much more -"

"She can't," Rudy agreed as he joined the group.

"How is she?" Steve asked anxiously.

"Asleep, but it took two shots to get her there."

"_Was _she dreaming?" Oscar wondered.

"It's possible that what happened earlier could have traumatized her badly enough to trigger a nightmare...but I don't think so. This is affecting Jaime physically, to an almost dangerous degree. I believe she saw _something._"

"That settles it," Oscar concluded. "Steve, you're taking her to a safe house – tonight. I'll have Russ and Callahan make the arrangements."

- - - - - -

Jaime sent everyone's carefully-made plans into a tailspin when she woke up. "**No**," she insisted, arms folded across her chest and her lower lip jutting out in true Jaime-style. "I'm not going."

She still looked pale and somewhat shaky, but Steve knew when he saw the look in her eyes that it was pointless to argue. "Jaime -"

"No! If we run away and hide, then they've won – whoever _they _are."

"Sweetheart, please -"

"I refuse to let them win, Steve!"

Steve sighed with resignation. "I'll call Oscar." He returned a few minutes later. "He wants us both in his office, first thing in the morning."

- - - - - -

The cat reveled in the victory of the newest developments. Plans would have to be altered – _again –_ stepped up a notch or two, but this was not a problem. With the right contacts and appropriate pay-offs, the cat could accomplish anything. The mice, already running scared, would stumble blindly into the new trap as well, and never even know what hit them.

- - - - - -


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

It was only 6:30 in the morning, but they knew Oscar would already be at his desk; it almost seemed like he lived there. Steve dropped Jaime off in front of the fountain and went off to park the car.

Jaime stood there for a moment, basking in the calm aura of the softly falling water, then headed inside to summon the elevator. She nodded 'good morning' to Michael and the night receptionist, then pressed the button for the express elevator. It didn't light up, and appeared jammed, so – annoyed – she hit the next button over and boarded the waiting car. As she reached for the button to hold the door open, she happened to glance at the floor. Before she could scream or cry out for help, Jaime had crumpled to the floor in a dead faint. The doors slid shut, hiding her from view, and the elevator began a slow, steady ascent.

- - - - - -

Jaime wasn't waiting by the fountain, so Steve hurried inside to join her. He thought she'd be chatting with the night receptionist, but the girl at the desk was alone. "Did Jaime come through here?" he asked.

"Yeah – she went upstairs."

"Thanks." Steve called the express elevator, which was suddenly no longer jammed. Jaime was _not _waiting upstairs, though, and he found Oscar's inner office door closed and locked. The light was on inside, but the office looked empty, and since Callahan hadn't arrived yet, Steve was forced to think fast. He re-summoned the elevator, and when it opened, an out-of-breath Oscar greeted him.

"Steve – you're here bright and early."

"I couldn't sleep, and once the shots wore off, neither could Jaime."

"She didn't come with you?"

"I dropped her off and parked the car, and...she was gone. I can't find her. You didn't see her in the lobby, did you?"

"No." Oscar immediately sprang into action. "I'll call Security," he said, picking up the phone. "Operator, get me – oh...Rudy? Wait. Slow down. Ok, who found her...where? Alright. Steve's with me; we'll be right down."

"What is it?" Steve asked, following Oscar into the elevator. "...Jaime...?"

"Something's happened to her, Pal," Oscar said carefully. "She's down in Rudy's lab, and...she's not conscious."

- - - - - -

Oscar and Steve found both Rudy and Michael leaning over Jaime's still form on a gurney in the middle of the lab.

"What happened?" Steve asked, fear and guilt stealing almost all his breath away.

"Michael found her," Rudy answered without looking up. "In the elevator – alone – out cold." Jaime moaned softly but didn't stir. "Not a mark on her, though, and no smell of ether or chloroform. She may have fainted, either from exhaustion or stress."

"Knife..." Jaime murmured, her eyelids beginning to flutter.

Steve was instantly beside her, clasping her hand. "Someone pulled a knife on you?"

"No...was...on the floor. It...stabbed...the doll."

Steve looked questioningly at Michael, who shook his head; he hadn't seen it. They were still firmly at square one.

- - - - - -

The cat was almost salivating as he considered the morning's events. He could have finished her off with a final, lethal pounce when he had her alone in the elevator, but he was having too much fun.

One mouse was on her way to the hospital for overnight observation, and the other was finally beginning to show the first signs of fear. Divide and conquer...vanquish..._**dominate.**_ The game was getting _interesting._

- - - - - -

Steve hesitated at the door to Jaime's hospital room, trying to get a firm grip on his own emotions. He'd just come from a conference with Jack Hansen, Oscar and the two doctors, and their conclusions were not encouraging. All four men believed that Jaime had simply passed out from exhaustion (both physical and emotional) and that whatever she thought she'd seen had been a dream...or hallucination. In his own mind, Steve really couldn't be sure either, but he was certain that she _believed _she'd seen something horrific and his only instinct was to comfort and protect her, in any way he could.

"Jaime...?" he said softly, not wanting to startle her. Jaime was staring out the window, propped up with pillows, and as she slowly turned to look at him, the pain in her face nearly broke his heart.

"They want me to talk to a shrink. I saw it, Steve, and I wasn't dreaming!"

"I know," he answered as he sat next to her on the bed and enveloped her in his arms. She clung to him in a despair beyond tears. "What _did _you see, Sweetheart?" he asked, as gently as possible.

Jaime's voice was eerily calm "On the floor, right by my feet – under the elevator control panel – was a huge knife. A...meat cleaver really, and there was a doll on the end – a girl, blonde – and the knife went all the way through her."

- - - - - -


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Hello, Jaime," her early-afternoon visitor said brightly. "I'm Andrew Corrigan -"

"The shrink?" In faded jeans and a navy-and-white striped polo, he was hardly what she'd expected.

"I'm an OSI Staff Psychiatrist, yes. Do you know why I'm here?"

"They think the cheese has slipped off my cracker."

"Excuse me?" Andrew said, cracking a smile smile in spite of himself.

"They think I'm either hallucinating or making up stories."

"And what do _you _think?"

"I _**know **_what i saw; I didn't imagine it! Someone's trying to gaslight me!"

"Why would someone do that?" Andrew probed.

"_I don't know why! _That's why I need to get outta here, so I can find out!"

"I can understand that," he concurred. "Why don't you tell me what you saw, and we'll go from there?"

Jaime sighed and related the events of the last 24 hours in all of their vivid, gory details. When she was done, she met the doctor's eyes with a firm, steady gaze. "I _wasn't _dreaming!"

- - - - - -

"Well?" Steve asked nervously, beating Rudy and Oscar to the question when Andrew re-joined them in Rudy's office.

"I'm not basing this on anything scientific or concrete, but I believe her. Someone is apparently out to get her." He looked at Steve. "Or to get both of you." His eyes scanned the room. "On the other hand, threats of this nature, if they continue, could push anyone over the edge, and this young lady is perilously close."

- - - - - -

"I'd rest better at home," Jaime insisted.

"You collapsed today, Honey," Rudy said gently. "Michael and I just want to make sure you're ok."

"Well, I'm fine. A little tired, though. Maybe a nap would be good, just until dinnertime..."

"I think that sounds like a great plan," Steve agreed. "I've got a few things I need to check out, and I'll be back before you wake up."

Jaime nodded, her eyes already half-closed. The two men left quietly, thankful she felt relaxed enough to sleep.

- - - - - -

The cat was nearly salivating at the way things were shaping up. A mouse in a hospital bed would be easy pickings. It was time to start batting her about, let her begin to taste _real _fear. They may have had an inkling before, but both mice would soon know that they truly were helpless prey.

- - - - - -

Oscar had been unwilling to leave the hospital while the well-being of his operative was still in question, and since Chris and Russ had found him still there, he met with them in a small conference room just down the hall and around the corner from Jaime's room.

"Russ, I want you to arrange 24-hour, around-the-clock surveillance at Steve's house, and Chris, you'll do the same at Jaime's," Oscar directed. "Anyone so much as _breathes_ in the direction of either property, I expect to hear about it."

While Oscar was arranging for Jaime's safe release from the hospital, Jaime rolled over in bed and was abruptly awakened by a sharp, painful stab in her side.

"Ow!" she muttered, before she was fully awake. Once she rolled over and looked for the source of the pain, she was out of bed faster than a heartbeat and running down the hallway, calling out for Steve.

Oscar, Russ and Chris met her as she rounded the corner. "What is it?" Oscar asked.

"My room...in my bed...!" Jaime gasped, growing paler by the second. Chris and Russ each caught her by one arm before she could hit the ground, while Oscar – his gun drawn – raced down the hall. Rudy and Michael, alerted by Jaime's cries, came out of the office and Steve – having walked into the middle of mayhem – rushed to Jaime's side.

"What happened?" Steve demanded. _She should've at least been safe in the hospital, _he thought to himself. "Are you alright, Sweetheart?" he asked softly, kneeling next to the chair she'd been placed in.

"There was a poker – a skewer – with two dolls stuck on it...like...shish-kabob!" She leaned into Steve's arms and closed her eyes to try and shut out the memory.

Oscar returned, looking bewildered. The men all looked up, while Jaime continued clinging to Steve. Oscar shook his head.

"Nothing in there," he stated flatly. "I'm sorry, Jaime," he added carefully.

Jaime, who'd kept her composure up to this point, broke down in sobs of confusion and defeat. "It was there – I swear it was!" She looked accusingly at Oscar. "What'd you do with it?"

"Sweetheart," Steve chided softly, "He's trying to help. If he didn't see anything, maybe there really was nothing there."

"Now you don't believe me, either?" Jaime cried. She pulled herself out of Steve's embrace and started to rise to her feet, promptly landing in a heap on the floor. "Don't touch me!" she told Steve and Oscar as they both reached down to help her. "Just leave me alone."

Alarmed and frightened, Steve looked up at Rudy. "Let's get her back in bed," the doctor instructed.

"NO!" Jaime screamed, backing away from them while still on the ground. "I can't go back in there! Please...!"

With sad eyes, Rudy removed a syringe from his coat pocket and injected the contents into Jaime's arm. Within seconds, she grew silent and her eyes closed, the last of her tears still pearled on her cheeks. A heartbroken Steve picked her up from the floor and carried her back to her room. As he placed her in the bed, her gown rode up on the right and he, Rudy and Michael all noticed the deep, angry gouge where 'nothing' had sliced into Jaime's side.

- - - - - -


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Steve waited in Doctor Corrigan's make-shift office while the psychiatrist and two doctors conferred about Jaime. He thought he was about to pace a groove into the floor when Andrew finally joined him, alone.

"Let's sit down," the doctor suggested.

"What's going on?" Steve asked, still standing. "Where's Rudy Wells?"

"Doctors Marchetti and Wells have released Jaime from medical treatment and into my care," he said, knowing the news wouldn't sit well.

It didn't. "They're..._committing _her?"

"No, not exactly. However, there's nothing medically wrong with Jaime, and the wild accusations she's made have convinced me she's crossed the line into paranoia and possible psychosis."

"Jaime is NOT psychotic!"

"No, definitely not. But she _is _having an episode brought on by external stress – and a vivid imagination - "

"Now wait just a minute!" Steve couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I thought you said you believed her!"

"I did, until she started accusing the Director of the OSI of trying to gaslight her, and also backed away from you."

"She was scared to death! That does NOT make her crazy!"

"Of course it doesn't," Andrew concurred. "With a few weeks of treatment, Jaime will be just fine, and -"

"I'm not letting you put her away!"

"No, of course -"

"She's not getting thrown in some padded cell! That's only going to make things worse! And what about the gash in her side? If she's hallucinating, how did she get cut?"

"Perhaps she rolled over in her sleep and gouged herself without realizing it. Doctor Wells has filled me in on her special capabilities, and the fingernails on her right hand could certainly have -"

"They didn't, and you know it!" Steve took a deep calming breath. This was obviously going nowhere. "Where's Jaime now? What are you doing to her?"

"She's been heavily sedated, in preparation for transfer to my facility, where -"

"You're not taking her anywhere. I want her released into my custody – today. Now."

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Where. Is. She?"

"I'm sorry, Colonel, but -" If Andrew hadn't been told that Steve had the same capabilities as Jaime, he certainly knew it now. Steve was out the door and down the hall before the doctor could finish his sentence or even pick up the phone to call Security.

- - - - - -

Steve ran at bionic speed toward Jaime's hospital room. It was an OSI facility, the personnel well-aware of the bionic program but at the moment, Steve couldn't have cared less who saw him. His only thought: _find Jaime._

Her room was already empty, but his eye caught a flurry of activity at the far end of the hallway by the elevators. Not willing to wait his turn for a car to take him up, he bounded up the stairs in just seconds, arriving in time to see Jaime lying on a gurney and being wheeled toward a waiting helicopter.

_No way! _He swore to himself. Without enough time to consider his actions, Steve caught up with the gurney, swooped Jaime's unconscious form into his arms and, thinking quickly, leaped off of the second-story roof and began to run.

- - - - - -

The cat had scored an impressive double victory. The first mouse had crumbled into a cowering shadow, and her impending confinement had caused the other mouse to do exactly what the cat had hoped he would do. A rash, irresponsible move borne out of – what? **Love**? In the cat's world, there was no such thing. _Irrationality –_ that was a good word. A totally irrational act meant the mice were now alone...and exceptionally vulnerable.

- - - - - -

_"What the __**hell **__do you mean she's gone?"_ Oscar fumed. Even through the phone receiver, Doctor Corrigan could hear Oscar's fist slamming into his desk. "How do you lose a patient who's out cold?" As Andrew explained what had happened, Oscar puffed hard on his cigar and slammed his fist a few more times for the doctor's benefit. "Dammit," he finally said in a voice that, although very quiet now, still made the OSI 'shrink' cringe. "I'll be right over."

- - - - - -

Oscar looked around the table at each of the three doctors. Corrigan seemed angry – this had, after all, happened on his watch. Michael looked worried and Rudy's face was the picture-definition of sadness.

"What, exactly, is Jaime's current condition?" Oscar demanded.

"She's been _very _heavily sedated," Michael told him.

"Aside from that," Oscar said, frowning, "_**is **__she psychotic?"_

"Possibly," Corrigan answered.

"I don't believe she is," Rudy interjected. "We signed her over to Andrew for _evaluation_, Oscar, nothing more. For what it's worth, I believe she's legitimately afraid of a very real threat."

"Which is all the more reason to find her as quickly as possible," Oscar added.

Corrigan shook his head. "I'm afraid you're wrong, Doctor Wells. She was terrified of the man you've all said she's in love with, and her accusations toward Oscar and God-knows-who-else border on true paranoia -"

"Or an honest, frightened mistake," Rudy argued.

"I think we can all agree on one thing," Michael said softly. _"Jaime needs help."_

- - - - - -

Oscar was forced to make the most crucial decision himself. Jaime was missing – in itself a national security issue – but technically she'd been taken by force by an unauthorized party. Legally, that fact made this a kidnapping, requiring him to call in the Secret Service, but he couldn't bring himself to do that...yet.

- - - - - -


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Steve carefully stretched Jaime's body out in the familiar old bed, covered her with the quilt and tenderly kissed her forehead. "You're safe now, Sweetheart," he said softly, even though he knew she couldn't hear him. "Nobody will find us here."

He had been forced to think on the fly, and realizing he couldn't take Jaime to his house or her own (they were probably staked out by that point) and an OSI safe house was out of the question, he scrambled to come up with an alternative place to hide. Jim and Helen's ranch was out of the question – too obvious – as was the carriage house and the house where Jaime had grown up. Finally, the answer became clear. He'd left Jaime at the carriage house very briefly while he used an assumed name to rent a car. After stopping to buy a few essentials, he'd retrieved Jaime and headed for one place 'they' might not think to look: the cabin in the woods, about 100 miles from Ojai, where the Elgin and Sommers families had spent so many happy vacations together, when he and Jaime were growing up. Hell, the OSI probably didn't even know this place existed.

Of course, if they were thorough enough, they'd learn of it eventually, but at least Steve had been able to buy some much-needed time, to regain his own bearings and hopefully help Jaime regain a sense of safety through tender, loving care.

- - - - - -

Oscar had Chris and Russ's teams continue surveillance of Steve and Jaime's homes, although it was highly doubtful the duo would return to either place in the near future. Jack Hansen and his men were already on the case, investigating what had been happening to Jaime, so together, Oscar and Jack reached an understanding. They would give the fugitive operatives twelve hours to turn themselves in or be found by the teams that were already looking for them. After that time, there would be no alternative but to alert the Secret Service.

Oscar still harbored hope that it wouldn't have to come to that. Maybe, if he was incredibly lucky, he'd even be able to find them himself.

- - - - - -

The cat paced restlessly, considering his next move. The stakes were much higher now. He'd thoroughly enjoyed himself thus far, playing on the fear and uncertainty of his prey, and his dark eyes glowed with passionate excitement at the thought that it was almost time to move in for the kill.

- - - - - -

Andrew Corrigan was on his third cup of coffee, wondering what, if anything, he could do to help in the search for Jaime and Steve, when there was a brisk, sharp knock on his office door. He stood to greet his visitor, whom he'd seen around the hospital both before and after Jaime had disappeared, although they'd never been formally introduced.

"Doctor Corrigan?" the suited man began, shaking his hand. "My name is Jack Hansen, and I'm Director of the National Security Bureau. I wonder if I might speak with you."

"Of course," Andrew told him, closing the door, correctly sensing this would be a private conversation. "What can I do for you?"

"I need some information. Doctor, is it possible for a person to appear entirely normal and yet be completely insane?" Jack asked.

"Are you talking about Jaime Sommers?"

"No, of course not. I meant that hypothetically."

"It would depend on the individual, I suppose," Andrew responded, "but there would almost always be some sort of indicator, however subtle -"

Hansen nodded. "Ok, now suppose Jaime was _not _hallucinating. Tell me about the kind of person who would be capable of the things she's described."

The doctor nodded, understanding now where the questions were headed. "I can say with total certainty that it would be someone she knows, or someone who knows her. This was no stranger, if in fact we have a perpetrator at all."

"Someone with a grudge?"

"Much more than that. Someone with a deep-seated anger or hatred, possibly about something that had happened in their own personal experience but tied in somehow to Jaime or Steve."

"What about unrequited love?" Hansen theorized. "Could that do it?"

"I doubt it; not in a case this extreme."

"So someone would have to be truly insane to be behind these acts?"

Corrigan frowned. "Not necessarily. We're more likely to be looking for a sociopath -"

"Which means...?"

"Someone for whom right and wrong have blurred into what's right for them alone, and everyone else be damned. The seed is often planted by an extreme loss early in life, and then could be triggered at any time by another painful incidence of loss."

Hansen nodded. "Like loving someone and having to see them happily in love with someone else?"

"That could very well be the case. And that person could be raging dangerously on the inside and still present a fairly normal front to the rest of the world."

"Thank you, Doctor. May I use your phone?" Andrew pushed the phone across the desk and Jack dialed a number. "Get me the Secret Service."

- - - - - -


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Steve was well beyond worry and beginning to feel afraid; it had been almost eight hours since he had taken Jaime from the rooftop, and she was still no closer to waking up. What, exactly, had they given her? Was it really just a strong sedative, or (he couldn't bear to think this) had their tormentor managed to dose her with something far more dangerous...and lethal?

The cabin had no telephone, but he knew there was no one he could safely call for help anyway. They were on their own, and until Jaime regained consciousness, Steve had to be the look-out/protector for both of them. Very carefully, he lifted the right side of Jaime's shirt to check her 'imaginary' wound. It was raw and angry-looking, and as gently as possible, he covered it with antibiotic cream. Jaime winced slightly and rolled away from him but still didn't open her eyes.

"Oh, Sweetheart," he whispered, pulling the quilt over her once again, "what did they do to you?"

- - - - - -

Hansen closed the last of the three files, sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. For the first time in his career, he'd have given anything to be wrong, but – as always – the NSB Director's instincts had been right on the money.

For the sake of comparison, he'd chosen two men who'd partially fit Corrigan's profile, in addition to his prime suspect, and obtained complete Secret Service background reports on all three men. One of the men fit the profile so completely that it could have been tailor-written about him. Jack took the file of the man he now knew for certain was the perpetrator and locked it in his top desk drawer before re-dialing the direct line to the Secret Service.

"I need you to bring Chris Williams and Michael Marchetti to my office immediately – it's urgent."

- - - - - -

The cat growled in frustration – an angry, back-of-the-throat sound that was really more animal than human. Damn! He'd almost had them, but (without even knowing it) they'd managed to avoid extermination by mere minutes. It was only a temporary setback, but still a maddening one.

He had to laugh, though; those stupid, lovestruck mice were probably just settling into a comfortable sense of security. What a rude shock it would be when he finally caught up with them and forced them to pay...the ultimate price!

- - - - - -

Jaime began to cry very softly in her sleep, and Steve reacted quickly so when she opened her eyes she found herself in his arms. Her pre-conscious struggle was calmed instantly by the warmth of his touch and the love in his eyes.

"Steve?"

"Welcome back," he said quietly, holding Jaime close as he felt her lean into him for comfort.

"The hospital...?" she whispered, confused and frightened but fully coherent. "Steve, they were gonna..."

"I know, but you're safe now, Sweetheart. I sort of...liberated you."

"Oh, God – then they're after us, aren't they?"

"Probably," Steve confirmed, "But I have a plan..."

- - - - - -

Chris and Michael sat in Hansen's office, anxiously waiting for him to get back from his meeting and wishing they knew what was going on. They didn't have to wait long before Jack returned, flanked by a trio of Secret Service agents. He got straight to the point.

"You've both been eliminated as suspects in what happened to Jaime. We know now who's been terrorizing her, and we need your help to find her – and Steve – before that person makes his next move."

"I _knew _she wasn't seeing things," Michael said softly. "How can we help?"

"You were each in a serious relationship with Jaime at some point in the past. Where would she go if she felt threatened, or where would Steve take her to help her feel safe?"

Michael shook his head sadly. "We really weren't together long enough...I'm sorry."

Chris appeared deep in thought for a few moments, then looked up with a start. "I know where she is!"

- - - - - -

The cat was jubilant. Normally, he preferred to draw his prey to _him, _but getting to these 'special', over-rated and over-priced mice was worth every bit of the extra effort. As he stood in the trees outside the cabin, he took a little time to savor victory before moving ahead with his plan for their immediate extermination.

- - - - - -

The knock on the door made Steve stiffen slightly. His every nerve was on high alert; this was likely to be _IT_ – or, more precisely, _**him**_. Hoping Jaime would find the courage to stick to their plan (she'd never let him down before), he slowly opened the door.

"Hello, _Pal_," Oscar said, spitting out the endearment as though it was bitter acid. He pulled a gun from inside his jacket and held it point-blank to Steve's chest as he pushed him back into the cabin. "Now – _where is Jaime_?"

- - - - - -


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

_Jaime was right, _Steve thought as he eyed Oscar's gun and wondered when, exactly, their friend and boss had turned into the raging stranger in front of him. "Well, Oscar, something tells me you aren't the cavalry coming in to rescue us."

"Very funny," Oscar said, glaring. "_**Where is Jaime**_?"

Steve shrugged. "Couldn't tell you; I haven't seen her since this morning, when I left her at the carriage house."

"Don't try to be cute, Steve. I'm not buying it." While he had Steve's attention on the gun, with his other hand, he removed a pen-shaped tube from a pocket and pressed a button. Steve looked down, startled, as a tiny dart struck him in the stomach. Oscar nudged him just slightly with the gun barrel, pushing him effortlessly into a chair. "Mind if I look around for myself, _Pal?"_ The person who used to be Oscar moved menacingly through the little cabin, peering under the bed, into the miniature closet and behind the shower curtain.

"She isn't here," Steve said in a weak, groggy voice. _Dammit, this wasn't part of the plan. Can I even __**walk**_

"Did you really think you could hide from me?" Oscar gloated.

"No – of course not. I just needed to rest awhile. I knew you'd find me eventually; that's why I couldn't bring Jaime with me."

_"__**You're lying**__!"_

"Do you see her here?"

"Oh, she's here, and if you don't tell me where, I'll hurt her twice as badly when I do find her – and I'll make sure you see and hear every glorious second!"

"Why are you doing this?" Steve asked, stalling. _Aside from the fact that you've completely lost your last brain cell, you psycho lunatic FREAK!_

"I've got my reasons."

"Well, since I doubt you'll be letting me leave here, now that I know _what _you really are, don't I deserve to know why I'm about to die?"

"Deserve?" Oscar scoffed. _"__**Deserve? **_You _deserved _to die when you turned a multi-_billion _dollar aircraft into a pile of rubble! Spencer had the right idea, wanting to keep you in suspended animation between assignments; a robot capable of independent thought was never a good idea!"

Steve choked back his anger at the word 'robot'. He was too groggy to fight, and had to get back to the plan if he and Jaime were to have any hope at all. "Is that how you see _Jaime_, too – just a useless robot?" _C'mon, you freak, keep on looking...just a little bit more..._

Oscar's face softened, but only for a split-second. "Jaime's...different."

"I've always thought so," Steve said softly. "So why would you wanna hurt her?"

"I don't."

"You've spent the last 48 hours terrorizing her – you damn near got her committed!"

"Jaime made one very critical mistake: she stayed with you."

"So you did all this -"

"She was supposed to get scared and leave you."

_Take a lot more than that to split us up, _Steve thought silently. _'Bout the only thing that could do that is...death. _"You don't really have it in you to hurt her," he said with more conviction than he actually felt.

"You'd be amazed at what I've got in me!"

"Yeah," Steve said ironically, "you're full of surprises." He started formulating a new, second plan, in case he couldn't get Oscar outside the cabin and no one else came in time to rescue them. _If he shoots me and leaves, at least Jaime will be safe..._

- - - - - -

A fleet of government cars were swarming fast toward the mountains north of Ojai. Hansen knew their quarry likely had gotten a head start, and he tried not to think about the grim scene that quite possibly awaited them. Rudy and Michael were in the backseat of one of the lead cars; Jack could only hope that they weren't already too late.

- - - - - -

"So where is she?" Oscar demanded again. "Maybe I'll just kill you and take Jaime with me. Oh, she'll be a little upset at first, but she'll come around."

"She's already 'come around', Goldman," Steve told him. "Jaime saw you for the monster you really are, and she tried to tell us, but -"

"**Dammit**! Where is she?"

"I. Don't. Know." Steve shrugged. "You try the roof?"

"ARRGH!" In his fury, Oscar kicked the door open and stormed outside.

Steve fought to stay conscious, and his unsteady legs got him as far as the porch. While Oscar, gun still at the ready, circled the cabin, Steve whispered softly enough for only Jaime to hear. "Jaime, he's got darts...tranquilizers...watch out."

Jaime, high above them on her well-hidden perch, picked up a handful of smaller, golf ball-sized stones and began lobbing them one at a time onto the roof. She was carefully hitting each of the four sides at random, created the hoped-for confusion. Oscar started to chase the sound from side to side, then finally stood still, trying to ascertain the source and where it would hit next.

_I can do this, _Jaime told herself, picking up a bigger, baseball-sized rock. _**I have to do this.**_ Taking a deep breath, as well as very close aim, she threw the rock with carefully moderated strength, striking the back of their assailant's head. Oscar's eyes grew wide with shock as his knees buckled and he crumpled to the ground.

Steve grabbed the rope from under the porch and staggered over to begin tying him up while Jaime made her way down from the treehouse. Once they had the situation well under control, squealing tires and screeching brakes announced the arrival of their 'rescuers'.

Jack Hansen led the charge of suits running toward Jaime, Steve and the semi-conscious man lying on the ground. It seemed a moot point, since he was already tied and in the custody of two very relieved federal agents, but Jack had to say it anyway:

"Oscar Goldman, you're under arrest."

- - - - - -


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Rudy and Michael rushed to Jaime's side. "I'm ok," she insisted, waving them away. "Please check on Steve...and Oscar."

"Tranquilizer dart," Steve said slowly, easing himself onto the porch steps. "He got me good." Rudy began to quickly and efficiently check him over while Michael tended to Oscar. Jack untied the rope from Oscar's arms and sadly placed him in handcuffs.

"He's not..._dead,_ is he?" Jaime asked Michael, her voice quivering.

"No."

"I...didn't hurt him too badly, did I?"

"Jaime," Steve protested, "After everything he did -"

"He's still _Oscar_," she told Steve firmly. Silent tears streamed down her face as she backed away from the man on the ground – someone she'd always considered a friend. She sank down wearily next to Steve and rested her head on his shoulder. "Under all that anger and all of that...madness, he's just a human being in a lot of pain."

Steve pulled her closer and kissed her before re-surrendering his arm to Rudy. "One more reason I love you," he said softly, marveling at her resilience.

Oscar shook his head as though trying to clear fog from his brain. His face brightened when he saw Michael. "Hey, Doc! I brought my pills, just in case. Think I should take one?"

Four heads turned at whiplash speed. "What pills?" Rudy asked. "I didn't prescribe anything." He was supposed to be Oscar's doctor – his _only _doctor.

Michael looked over at the trio on the porch and rolled his eyes as if to say Oscar was crazy beyond belief. Oscar smiled as Rudy knelt on the ground beside him.

"Just something for stress. Don't want a heart attack, you know," Oscar said calmly.

"And you said you have them with you...?" Rudy prompted.

"Top pocket. Can't quite reach 'em now, though."

As Rudy removed a small, unmarked brown vial from Oscar's pocket, Michael began to slowly back away, eying the woods around the cabin for possible escape routes.

Jaime was instantly on her feet. "You don't _want _me to chase you, Michael."

_"Don't move, Marchetti,"_ Hansen ordered. He removed the handcuffs from Oscar's wrists. "I believe these belong to you," he told the young doctor, this time affixing them to the proper set of wrists. "Let's go."

- - - - - -

Jaime and Steve rode to the hospital in the backseat of Jack's car so Rudy could take Oscar in the Medivac. They rode silently for a long while, safely entwined in each other's arms. "You can take me back to see Corrigan if you have to," Jaime finally sighed. "I understand."

"That won't be necessary," Jack told her.

"The way you kept your head today," Steve added, "and did what you had to do – Lady, you are amazing."

"What'll happen to Oscar?" Jaime asked sadly.

"He'll have a full work-up," Hansen replied, "physical and psychological, before we make any decisions. It doesn't look like he was a willing participant, but we have to be sure."

"They can hang Michael for all I care," Steve grumbled.

_"Steve!" _Jaime gasped.

"Sorry, Sweetheart," he said, kissing her. "I love you, but please – no 'human being in pain' crap for that one, ok?"

Jaime sighed again and leaned against Steve's chest. "I love you, too," she whispered, leaving it at that.

- - - - - -

"I'd hold you both overnight for observation," Rudy told Steve and Jaime, "but I have a feeling you'll keep an even closer eye on each other than my staff could. So, I'm going to release you on the condition that you stick together – at least for a day or two – and call me if you have any problems."

Jaime made a face of mock horror. "I have to spend the night...with _him?"_

Steve flashed her a wicked grin. "Maybe two."

Jaime leaned into him, grateful for the warmth and comfort of his arms after everything they'd been through. "If I have to..." she chuckled, then her eyes grew serious. "Rudy, how's Oscar?"  
Rudy pulled up a chair and sat down facing his friends. "He'll need a couple of days to detox, but then he should be fine...physically, that is. My initial tests show that he probably had no idea what he was doing. Michael somehow convinced him that Jaime really wanted to be with him, and that since they made such a perfect couple, he – Michael – wanted to help."

"And once she supposedly got scared enough to leave me -" Steve continued.

"Michael was certain _he'd _be the one to comfort her," Rudy concluded. "The drugs he got Oscar to take – for his non-existent heart condition – made him extremely malleable; suggestible. When the two of you ran, Michael upped the dosage and convinced Oscar that Steve had stolen Jaime from him, that she needed Oscar's help to get away; that, along with the drugs, sent him into a psychotic rage."

"And I hit him with a rock..." Jaime said quietly.

"You had no other choice," Steve pointed out.

"My God, when he comes out of it, he's going to hate himself..." Jaime realized, a tear in each eye. "Rudy, when can I see him, to let him know I don't blame him for what happened?"

"Jaime -" Steve protested, even though he knew better than to argue with her when her mind was set on something.

"Give it 48 hours," Rudy suggested, "and then we'll see."

Steve had seen Jaime cry too many tears already in the last few days. His aim now was to get her home where she could rest. "Rudy, is it ok if I take her home now?"

"I'll drive," Jaime insisted, kissing him again before taking his keys.

- - - - - -


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Two dear friends had suddenly become painfully shy strangers. "Oscar...?" Jaime began in a tentative voice. She wasn't afraid of him – and she didn't need Rudy to tell her he wasn't dangerous, either – but she was terrified of causing him any further pain.

"Oscar doesn't remember any part of what happened," Rudy had explained to Jaime and Steve that morning.

"Well, that's really for the best," Jaime said quietly. "'Cause it wasn't really him, you know."

"We told him, Honey; we had no choice," Rudy explained. "If he's ever going to take his job back -"

"_**If**__?"_ Steve and Jaime protested in perfect stereo. "Of course he's gonna go back!" Jaime added. "He just needs some time...How'd he take it?"

Rudy hesitated. "He's talking about resigning."

"He can't do that!" Jaime argued. "I'm gonna go and see him."

Rudy wished he could pull out a few of his teeth without anesthetic rather than tell her, but she had to know. "He...doesn't want to see you, Honey," he said as gently as possible.

"The _hell _he doesn't! We've both got a lot of healing to do, and we're gonna do it together!"

Rudy smiled. "That's exactly what I'd hoped you would say."

So, here she was – and Jaime had no idea what to say. Luckily, her heart did. "I know you think you don't wanna see me," she told her silent friend, "but you _need _to see me, and I need to see you."

"Jaime...I..." he couldn't bring himself to face her. "Telling you that I'm sorry isn't enough, but there's nothing else I can say..."

"Oscar, you didn't do anything to apologize for." She sat down next to him and placed a gentle hand on his arm. "We have something in common now – something huge. And I'm not gonna tell you what it is until you look at me."

Oscar slowly turned his head toward Jaime, but his eyes were on the floor. She waited patiently until his gaze finally – reluctantly – met her own, then smiled and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before going on.

"We each have a part of our lives that we aren't too happy with but can't remember for the life of us, and so we have to take it on faith, through someone else's say-so." Oscar nodded slowly; she had his attention. "It's not fair, and it's damn hard, but you helped me through it, and now it's my turn to help you."

"Jaime, I don't deserve -"

"See, that's part of the problem. You feel like you're all alone and you don't wanna let anyone get close enough to possibly understand. I've been there in spades, and guess what? I'm here, I do understand, and I am not giving up on you. As for you resigning...forget it! There's no one else insane enough to want your job!"

Oscar reached out and awkwardly took Jaime's hand. "Thank you," he said softly; then he smiled.

- - - - - -

Jaime walked out of Oscar's hospital room several hours later and found Steve waiting for her. "Ok – spill it," she said lightly.

"Huh?"

"You've got that 'I'm-Only-the-Messenger' look. So...what's the bad news?"

"Michael is asking to see you."

"No; forget it. I have nothing to say to him, and absolutely no interest in hearing whatever it is he wants to say. Not now, and not ever."

"Good. I told Hansen I'd give you the message, but -"

"When did you see Hansen?" Jaime asked.

"While you were talking to Oscar, I sat in on some of Michael's interrogation."

"Oh. And?"

"And...it didn't go well. He's not saying much of anything, other than 'I need to talk to Jaime,' but Jack doesn't think that's a good idea, and neither do I."

"Make that unanimous," Jaime agreed, linking her arm with Steve's and smiling the most genuine smile he'd seen from her in days. "C'mon, Colonel...let's go home!"

"And which 'home' would that be? Mine...or yours?"

Jaime spun halfway around Steve to stand directly in front of him, diving straight into his eyes with her own. "You pick; as long as we're together...it's _home._"

Steve grinned. "Did I ever tell you I love how you think?" After a very long, very soft kiss, he snaked an arm around Jaime's waist to head toward the car. "We have one other stop to make first, though..."

- - - - - -

When the first car crossed the peak of the highest summit, Jaime held her breath. Before they began the downward plunge, it seemed for a split second as though they were suspended in space, with nothing below or even in front of them. Then, with a sudden _whoosh_ and a metallic _creak_, the Behemoth's train hurdled down the steep incline at a speed even faster than bionics. Jaime was once again clinging to Steve – not for comfort or out of fear – but simply because she loved how it felt.

END


End file.
